‘CULTURAL STIMULUS’ Event Kicks Off Local Living Economy Speaker Series

‘CULTURAL STIMULUS’ Event Kicks Off Local Living Economy Speaker Series

Arts and culture are vital to the health and wealth of a community. That's the focus of the inaugural talk in the Local Living Economy Speaker Series produced by BEAHIVE and Chronogram.

"CULTURAL STIMULUS: Arts & Culture as Economic and Community Driver" will explore the ways that three communities stimulate and support cultural activities. The heads of three development groups in Beacon and Kingston, NY, and Pittsfield, MA, will share their perspectives at BEAHIVE’s Kingston location (314 Wall St) on Monday, April 19, 5:30–7:30 PM.

Nancy Donskoj was recently hired by the Business Alliance of Kingston as the city's first Main Street Manager to help all three of Kingston’s business districts with development. She has helped coordinate numerous art related projects in the City of Kingston, most notably the Annual Artists’ Soapbox Derby.

Cabot Parsons chairs the City of Beacon's Arts and Cultural Development Committee, which supports Beacon arts organizations and individuals by advising the city council to develop ordinances, work on specific projects, help to market the arts in Beacon, and more. It is composed of members of Beacon arts organizations, business owners, artists and residents. He is an accomplished artist in several fields and has served on the board of several statewide and municipal arts organizations in his career.

Megan Whilden is director of the Office of Cultural Development for the City of Pittsfield, MA. Her office staffs the City’s Artscape public art committee, which juries and funds yearly public art shows in downtown Pittsfield and leads community-based public arts projects; represents the City’s cultural sector regionally and on the Boards of Berkshire Creative Economy Council and the Berkshire Visitors Bureau, and serves as the first point of contact for artists of all stripes, cultural organizations, event organizers and creative businesses in Pittsfield.

The Local Living Economy series will explore ways to cultivate a vital culture of environmental, social and economic sustainability in the Hudson Valley. The talks will alternate between BEAHIVE locations in Beacon and Kingston.

Michelle Long, executive director of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), describes a local living economy as one "tied together with the context of a place, so that you have an economy that is community-based, green and fair." BALLE is a network of socially responsible businesses across North America, leading the movement by which the series is inspired.